1 America, 1 Pandemic, 2 Realities

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Journeys through two states found Americans leading starkly different lives in the pandemic. New Mexico feels at a standstill. In South Dakota, life is going right on.

In one pandemic reality, restaurants are packed. There are no coronavirus limits at college-town bars. No social-distancing dots speckling the floor. Some people are wearing masks, but even a weak proposal to make it a requirement in one city prompted an outcry. Welcome to South Dakota.

In another, hundreds of miles to the south, much of life is shut down. No dining inside restaurants. Capacity limits at Walmart. Shuttered bookstores, museums, hair salons, parks. A mask-wearing culture so widespread that someone put one on an old statue. Welcome to New Mexico.

This is the view from America’s two discordant, dissonant pandemic realities. Continue reading.

Experimental drug given to Trump to treat covid-19 wins FDA clearance

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But Regeneron’s antibody treatment is expected to be in short supply.

The Food and Drug Administration on Saturday granted emergency authorization to the experimental antibody treatment given to President Trump last month when he developed covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

The drug, made by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, is designed to prevent infected people from developing severe illness. Instead of waiting for the body to develop its own protective immune response, the drug imitates the body’s natural defenses. It is the second drug of this type — called a monoclonal antibody — to be cleared for treating covid-19. The FDA authorized Eli Lilly & Co.’s drug on Nov. 9.

Regeneron’s drug is a cocktail of two monoclonal antibodies, called casirivimab and imdevimab. The FDA said in authorizing the cocktail that it may be effective in treating mild to moderate covid-19 in adults and children 12 or older, and is indicated for those at high risk of developing severe illness. Doctors hope the drugs will keep those patients from being hospitalized. Continue reading.

More GOP governors embrace mask mandates, but holdouts remain

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A growing number of red state governors are finally embracing mask mandates as COVID-19 spreads uncontrolled across the entire country.

The scientific community reached the consensus long ago that wearing masks can save lives and dramatically decrease the spread of the coronavirus. 

President Trump, however, helped to turn mask-wearing into a political statement, and many Republican governors have joined him in resisting calls to mandate their use. Continue reading.

White House largely silent on health precautions for Thanksgiving

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The White House is struggling to offer a clear message on how Americans should approach Thanksgiving as coronavirus cases surge around the country and experts worry holiday gatherings could produce yet another spike in infections.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued guidance on best practices for holding Thanksgiving gatherings, and the agency followed that up on Thursday by advising against traveling for the holiday.

But the White House has done little to elevate the recommendations from the country’s top public health agency, while some administration officials have outright contradicted the CDC’s advice. Continue reading.

Health experts dispute conservatives’ claim that new study finds masks are ineffective

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Public health experts are raising alarms about a study that some conservatives claim reveals that masks are ineffective at preventing the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Even the lead researcher argues that such an assertion is misconstruing science, while other public health experts assert that the study has serious design flaws.

Mask-wearing has remained a hot-button political issue even as more states, including those with Republican governors who long resisted such measures, are adopting mask mandates as case numbers rise across the United States. Numerous studies have found that masks, and perhaps even the mandates, reduce the risk of transmission. Continue reading.

Virus vaccination timeline depends on variety of factors

There won’t be enough supply in time for the winter holidays

Two COVID-19 vaccines are expected to be evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration soon, raising hopes that pre-pandemic life could resume, but piecing together varying messages from drug companies, experts and the government into one clear timeline isn’t easy.

When can you expect to get a vaccine? How many people could the United States vaccinate per week? It will take a while, and projections differ.

A vaccine won’t blunt the current third wave of cases, hospitalizations and deaths. There won’t be enough supply in time for loved ones besides potentially health care workers to get a shot before the winter holidays, and full protection doesn’t come until a week or two after a second dose. Continue reading.

Gov. Walz and Lt. Gov. Flanagan Update: November 21, 2020

Governor Walz Announces Four-Week Dial Back to Control Spread of COVID-19


Throughout this pandemic, the Walz-Flanagan Administration has followed the data on who, when, and where the virus is spreading. Now, that data is moving rapidly and so must Minnesota. As cases skyrocket, the “who” is all of us. The “when” is all the time. And the “where” is what we’re focusing on now.

Continue reading “Gov. Walz and Lt. Gov. Flanagan Update: November 21, 2020”

Survivor of the Jonestown Massacre compares Trump to Jim Jones: ‘The rhetoric is so similar’

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It was 42 years ago, on November 18, 1978, that cult leader Jim Jones encouraged a mass suicide in Guyana — where more than 900 of his followers died after drinking Flavor-Aid (a drink similar to Kool-Aid) that had been laced with poison. KRON-TV in Northern California, on the 42nd anniversary of the Jonestown Massacre, discussed the tragedy with some of the survivors — and one of them compared Jones to President Donald Trump.

Jones’ cult, the People’s Temple, was founded in San Francisco, where he persuaded hundreds of his followers to join him in a settlement he set up in the South American country of Guyana — and he named that settlement, Jonestown, after himself. Yulanda Williams, a People’s Temple member, went to Jonestown with her husband and her one-year-old daughter. Williams, who avoided the Jonestown Massacre, explained to KRON why Trump reminds her so much of Jones.

Williams told KRON, “I sometimes listen to our commander in chief — he sounds so much (like him), and the rhetoric is so similar to that of Jim Jones. But it is absolutely eerie for me, and I think that over 240,000 people have lost their lives due to COVID. When we say Jonestown is the most tragic incident of a massacre of people, I say don’t forget about the commander in chief who is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people.” Continue reading.

‘Help us’: Doctors implore Minnesotans to follow virus rules

Doctors urged Minnesotans on Thursday to take COVID-19 seriously and to comply with new restrictions that take effect Friday night as they provided dramatic accounts of how the state’s health care system — especially its health care workers — is at a breaking point.

Dr. Carolyn McClain, an emergency physician at Twin Cities hospitals, said the pandemic has been one of the hardest times of her life. She worked in Haiti after the catastrophic earthquake of 2010 but said that she could at least go home after that.

“This is my home, and I am watching people die,” McClain told reporters at a briefing with Gov. Tim Walz and other doctors. “And that is hard. and it’s been going on for a long time.” Continue reading.

CDC advises Americans not to travel for Thanksgiving

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The CDC issued new guidance on Thursday advising Americans not to travel for Thanksgiving, warning doing so may increase the chance of getting and spreading COVID-19.

Why it matters: The U.S. has seen over 1 million new coronavirus case in just this past week — and indoor household gatherings nationwide could make the situation even worse.

  • “One of our concerns is people over the holiday season get together, and they may actually be bringing infection with them to that small gathering and not even know it,” Henry Walke, the CDC’s COVID-19 incident manager, said on a call with reporters.
  • “We’re very concerned about people who are coming together sort of outside their household bubble.” Continue reading.